Large, wide-bodied aircraft are being used more extensively for the hauling of freight which is loaded on various sized pallets and in a variety of containers. Flexibility and simplicity in the loading and anchoring of the cargo are the keys to fast and economical operation of such aircraft. The pallets and cargo containers vary in size and may be, for example, 88 inches, 96 inches, or 196 inches wide.
The cargo is normally moved around the decks of freighter aircraft on rollers. Previously, when a mix of containers was being loaded, the container guide and latch mechanisms would normally have to be removed or re-adjusted to permit a variety of sized containers to be loaded. Some of the prior art mechanisms would fold down to permit oversized containers to pass over the mechanisms.
These prior art retractable quide/latch mechanisms normally only restrained the cargo in two directions, either in vertical and lateral direction or in a vertical and longitudinal direction. The advantage of the present inventive mechanism is that it is not only retractable to permit oversized containers to pass over the mechanism, but also restrains the cargo in three directions -- vertical, lateral and longitudinal.